UKCHIP – Pathway to
Professional regulation?
BCS HIF
July 2006
Contact : registrar@ukchip.net
Today’s
presentation
UK CHIP – From Zero to ....where next?
 Brief Background
 Current status & work
 Future developments
UK CHIP – From
Zero
 Gestation



-
Need for professional standards of
behaviour
Need for professional home
Need to greater homogeneity
UK CHIP – Still
Embryonic
Formal Aim of UKCHIP
 “to be the regulatory body for all branches
of health informatics in the United Kingdom”
 In so doing promote and advance, for the
benefit of the public, standards of practice
in Health Informatics in the UK”

Embryonic but
Inclusive

Who should be included
Medical records, Coding, Audit
 Libraries and knowledge management
 Information systems developers and support staff
 Information & communications technology
professionals including Service Desk staff
 Information Managers, Data analysts
 Clinical/medical informaticians
in operational, commercial, research and academic CARERELATED locations


Launched
10.03.2004
UK CHIP –
First Steps
 Objectives




To promote the practice of Informatics
To establish and improve standards of competence
To establish mechanisms for the benefit of the public
To collaborate with official bodies, societies and
professional associations on matters relating to the
above
 Registration
 CPD
UKCHIP
Registration
+
+
+
=
Academic + Job Role + Yrs in Health + Yrs in Informatics = UKCHIP
Registration level
Standards for
Registration
 Existing
model predates other relevant
UK work
 New model ready for consultation on or
around 4thAugust
 Developed over 16mths to June 2006
 Does not re-invent the wheel
 Comparable with other health
professional standards and frameworks
for registration
Standards for
Registration
 Mapping
document available now for
comment and wide consultation into
September 2006
 Separates requirements into 5 areas:





Health & Social care
Personal
Management and General
Data Information Knowledge and Systems
Informatics in Heath & Social Care
UK CHIP CPD
 Recognition
CPD
 Aim to –


of the need for relevant
Confirm Fitness to continue to practice
Demonstrate criteria to progress
UK CHIP CPD

Continued fitness to practice is checked selectively
via reflection and aspirations and can include :
 work-based learning, reflective practice, clinical audit,
significant event analysis, user feedback, membership of
a committee, journal club;
 professional activity, member of specialist interest
group, mentoring, teaching, expert witness, presentation
at conferences;
 formal/educational, courses, undertaking research,
distance learning, planning or running a course;
 self-directed learning, reading journals/articles,
reviewing books/articles, updating knowledge via
WWW/TV/press;
 other activities, for example, public service
Desired Outcomes
from CPD

Personal




Organisational




Clear plan of personal development undertaken
Outline for future negotiation (A4C revisited)
Cross-professional declaration
Improves effectiveness of service delivery
Implications for effective us of training budget
Input to report of successful staff development
Professional


Demonstration of maintaining quality standards
Establishment of auditable register of fit to practice
staff
UK CHIP –
where next?
 What
are the drivers?
 Which are important?
 Is it really needed? Why bother?
 Likely developments.
Definition of a
Professional Body
Controlled by governing body which directs behaviour
 Sets entry standards and professional competence
 Sets ethical rules and professional standards
 Body is designed for benefit of public & not members
 Work often reserved by statute
 Ensures fair and open competition
 Members must be independent in thought and outlook
 Gives leadership in a field of learning

ref : Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine, ‘Criteria for a
Group to be Considered a Profession’,(1992), Lord Benson
UK CHIP – Likely
Developments
 Demands
from Foundation Trusts,
Commercial and Government for ~



Regulation and accreditation
Professional standardisation
Continued fitness to practice
 Hence



~
Regulatory body needed
Will it be health-specific?
Will it develop as a profession?
Drivers of change






Reform agenda including Payment by Results and
Patient Choice
Healthcare Commission’s “Standards for Better
Healthcare” and annual healthcheck
Informatics assurance mechanisms, including
Information Governance Toolkit (in healthcheck)
Increased Risk assessment and QoF audits
‘Transformational Government’ enabled by
technology’
Public Sector IT professionalism
Future
developments
 Revised
standards for registration
 Publication of the register Sept 2006
 Increased registrant base
 Recognition of progress towards
regulation with HPC and agreed action
plan
 Influence employer-led demands for
professional staff
Thank you for your attention.
Questions?
Pam.hughes@ic.nhs.uk
UKCHIP Board, Chair of Standards Committee